Jared Cook coming on

He’s had an unremarkable training camp for the most part, but something seems to have started clicking for second-year tight end Jared Cook over the past couple of days.

Guilty at times of dropping catchable passes during camp, Cook has started making some impressive receptions of late. He had a handful of big catches during Thursday’s practice and followed up with another good day today.

Offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger has noticed the difference.

“There was never anything wrong with Jared. It was just about him making some plays,” Heimerdinger said. “In the last week, he’s made catches when he had a chance where earlier in camp, he wasn’t making catches when he had a chance. So hopefully he’s done overthinking and is just playing. If he’s doing that, then he’s got a chance.”

And just what might have Cook been overthinking about?

“Sometimes you let other things get in the way, like ‘Am I going to make this team?’ ” Heimerdinger said. “You have to just go out and play, and let that speak for you. Don’t worry about things you can’t control.

“You can control your play and making plays when you get a chance. You can’t control what people are thinking upstairs and everything else. But if you don’t make those plays, then you’re helping take the decision out of your hands.”

Cook acknowledged Thursday that he had one of his best practices of camp, saying, “I felt like it was a decent practice. I’ve just got to do it all the time. But today was a good day. I had a lot of balls thrown my way.”

Heimerdinger said the Titans could afford not to get contributions from Cook as a rookie last season, but that this season the situation is different.

“He needs to be making plays and be on the field and help us this year,” Heimerdinger said. “Last year he needed to get bigger, which he’s done. He needed to learn how to block at the line of scrimmage, which he’s getting better at.

“Last year he was really a big wide receiver. But he’s done all the things in the offseason … Now he just needs to go out and when he has a chance to make a play, make them. He has this week.”